Silver Falls State Park is just a one hour drive south from home, so we headed out on Halloween day for an afternoon hike that took us past 7 waterfalls, while around us the deciduous trees were changing from shades of green into splashes of yellow and orange.

I’m still enough of a Californian to be in awe of water coming out of the mountains, so waterfalls are always a thrill. But Silver Falls goes way beyond that: trails linking a total of 10 waterfalls, with paths winding above and below and around — and behind — the falling water, which drops as much as 177 feet. The cliffs reveal 26 million years of geological changes, with a base of sandstone from when this area was an ocean bed, topped with layers of basalt from distinct lava floods separated by alluvial silt, and a dusting of volcanic ash on top. The seasonal fall colors added accents of color on the trees and on the water. It was a magical visit. Nancy wrote about this trip in her blog.